Ok, Elvis peeps, I hate to come begging, but I am just the same. My old hometown, Gatlinburg, fell victim to wildfires aided and abetted by hurricane force winds on Monday. To date, 13 fatalities and over 80 injured and over 700 structures destroyed. I no longer live in the main area - moved to the 'burbs of Sevierville - so while, I am fine, I find that over 15 friends have lost homes and literally everything. Most people don't even have a change of clothes. The fires in the city are out, with the exception of hotspots, but a major wildfire continues to burn in the Smokies, with only 25% containment. We have been in drought situation all summer and to date we haven't had more than an inch of rain since July. Anyhoo...

here are a couple of ways to help

first is from Dolly Parton, who is lke a goddess in my eyes. Through her Dollywood Foundation, any person/family who has lost their residence, be they renters or owners, will receive 1,000 a month for six months to get back on their feet. https://dollywoodfoundation.org/

then there is this, that is a little closer to my heart. The company I work for has established a fund to benefit our employees who have lost their homes, and, if you go there and read you'll find there are at least six and possibly twelve. We are hoping to raise 25,000 and split equally between.https://www.crowdrise.com/rocky-top-win ... sapatrick2

I will be glad to contribute. Thank you for the various links. It is a beautiful part of the country and to see what happened to that town in a matter of a day or two is sobering. I hope many reach out to your community in the coming months.

"....there's a merry song that starts in 'I' and ends in 'You', as many famous pop songs do....'